Prince Arthur and the College Girl Amelia
by Lady-Arsene
Summary: After the death of the King a few months after his birth, Prince Arthur has been kept from the outside world. He knows little about the world outside the palace. But with the help from Elizabeta and Francis, Arthur is able to sneak out of the palace at night to explore. Only to run into Amelia, a college girl. Upon his request, Amelia shows Arthur everything he's missed out on.
1. Chapter 1

The gracious queen of England marrying the oh so charming eventual king was a well received televised event that pulled on the people's heartstrings from the four corners of the world. A woman born into the life of luxury, and was raised from a little tike to a glamorous woman in the spotlight, giving her hand in marriage to a broke man who never had the chance to have a taste at everything his soon-to-be spouse was gifted with throughout her life.

Their relationship wasn't made exclusive to the public. The queen would often secretly meet up with her lover and disguise herself so they could have a normal relationship. They adored each other. It wasn't based on the man wanting to marry into the wealth by sweet-talking his way into her heart, no, it was pure love, and they knew it was. After two years of sneaking out and hiding away from the palace, the man finally proposed to his queen.

She exclaimed yes before he could even finish.

It was the marriage of the century, little girls from around the world watched in awe as the queen wore a Cinderella ball gown as she walked down the aisle. Everyone around the world laughed as the groom was so nervous that he stuttered when reciting his vows. And everyone around the world cheered as the kiss linked them together as husband and wife. With the linking of royalty and peasantry being presented worldwide, it made people begin to hope that they themselves could become a regal princess, or a prince for that matter, one day.

The belief only seemed to strengthen eight months after the televised ceremony.

Prince Arthur was brought into the world eight months after the wedding-because he was conceived that very wedding night and he is a premature child since he was born a month and five days away from his due date. He became the darling of the country overnight. His first baby picture was the front cover on every single magazine for a week, anything he may have touched would have immediately been turned around and sold, and he was the child of a queen and a peasant-an idea that mostly exist in the fairy tales more than they do in real life.

The bouncing baby prince was starting to be raised in front of the cameras, entirely similar as his mother before him. He was always present in his mother's arms at any and all events she attended alongside her king. He began his life in the televisions inside everyone's homes.

Then, tragedy had to strike the royal family.

The king had developed cancer in his brain, and it was discovered far too late for any medical miracles to save him. Once it was discovered, the queen and prince Arthur had slowed their roll with the public appearances. The world began to forget what the prince had looked like, who the prince was, or what even was his name?

And that problem only seemed to worsen when the king passed away one month after being diagnosed with the brain tumor. He had passed on during the night. However, he was wide-awake. Stroking his wife's long blonde locks as everything around became darker and darker, before whispering his final confession of love as he closed his eyes and became limp for good.

The queen was grief stricken. Her beautiful emerald eyes became waterfalls from her crystal blue tears. She withdrew her son from the public eye, confining him to world consisting of the castle only. She was warned numerous times by those around her that what she decided for her son was wrong for his development. Yes, she all ready was well aware of what the confinement would do to his growth. But, she didn't want to lose the last piece of her king.

Away from the public eye was where prince Arthur spent his childhood. Playing in the gardens an hour a day by playing with the bugs he found in the royal roses, finally cracking over the toy box the president of France had sent over at his birth, being read stories by his nanny before nap time and being read stories by his mother before bed. It was truly a most dull life a prince could have.

He grew into his adolescence realizing he knew nothing about his own country, the world even.

His tutor and the books stashed in the library could only tell him so much. He knew what forests look liked, with deep green colored leaves decorating the tree branches and blades of wet grass covering the soil beneath, but it was another thing to be standing in one entirely.

He was slowly reaching his nineteenth year of living. He turned nineteen come April twenty-third, and it was currently January tenth. His high school level of education was over, and now he was having the most prestigious professors brought to him; rather than him finally stepping back into society and discovering the world whilst studying.

Frankly, after his tenth birthday he had enough of never being able to leave the palace. Now it was time for Arthur to begin sneaking out of the palace.

There were only two in the palace staff who would ever dare to help him. His old nanny, Mrs. Elizabeta Héderváry or Liz as Arthur affectionately calls her, that acts as a sort emotional support for whatever the prince does, and is also the second-mother to the darling prince. Similar to some of the palace staff, she does have a residence in the palace; she did when prince Arthur was an infant but that was only when the queen was busy at night. Her husband, Roderich Edelstein, was a traveling piano player that used to play at the queen's dinners and at the prince's small birthday parties. The two of them took up a small apartment about seven miles away from the palace. And despite Arthur's claims that he would use some of his wealth to buy her a vehicle, Elizabeta either arrived at the palace from walking or by taking the public transit.

The other individual was the head cook for Arthur's meals, Francis Bonnefoy. He was known to be flirtatious to the maids of the palace, and he often flirted with them alongside one of the guards Gilbert Beilschimdt. He was greeted with the job immediately after he graduated from culinary school, which was when Arthur was fifteen and made it abundantly clear that he possessed no cooking skills. Even though he and Arthur didn't get along on the best of days, it was Francis' job to ensure Arthur was receiving all the nutrients he needed to thrive. And just like Elizabeta, he didn't live inside the palace, but he lived closer to the palace than the nanny.

With his wish to be shown the outside world still pounding in his heart, when Francis and Elizabeta arrived in his bedroom to wake him up and serve him breakfast, he nonchalantly asked when Francis presented him with a plate of eggs, hash browns, and toast while Elizabeta set his tea down on his nightstand.

"I would like to go outside."

When Arthur stated that, the color from both Francis' face and Elizabeta's disappeared. Their mouths hung slightly agape as their eyes widened in confusion.

"Arthur. Could you repeat that, please?" Elizabeta asked, double checking whether or not she was hearing things.

"Of course, Liz. I would like to go outside."

Francis' worried look was replaced by one of uncertain humor, it was as if he didn't know whether or not to take Arthur's statement as a joke. "Ohonhonhon! Arthur! Good joke there!"

"I am being completely serious, I'll have you know."

Lightly slapping Francis on his shoulder, Elizabeta cleared her throat before saying. "Why do you say that, Arthur? Are you sick?"

"No-no! I am perfectly healthy!" Arthur reassured. "I know my mother instructed you to tell me no if I were to ask such a thing. But I am eighteen, bloody, years old-"

"Arthur, watch your mouth."

"Oh, sorry Liz... Um, it is just that I want to know everything that's out there..." Arthur said, picking up his silver fork and beginning to poke at his eggs. "Even if it is just for one night, I would be grateful if you two would help me sneak out. It could be during the night so no one will know that I am absent."

The two adults were left speechless as they stared at their young prince with a mixture of pity and surprise.

"While you eat your breakfast, Francis and I will go talk in the kitchen. Alright? When we come back up for your dishes, we'll tell you what we think." Elizabeta stated without considering Francis' stance on the whole ordeal.

"Thank you, Liz." Arthur replied before taking a small bite out of his buttered toast.

Bowing their heads, the two adults left the bedroom of their prince, slowly closing the golden trimmed door behind them, as they began to venture through the carpeted hallways and heading for the kitchen. They remained silent as they walked beside each other, Arthur's request still fresh in the memories. But once they were in the safety of the empty kitchen-Francis' fellow cooks off presumably to serve the queen in the dining area-it became an all out verbal battle.

"I think we should do what Arthur wants."

"Excusez-moi! Do you want to get fired?"

"Francis, look, the prince has only been to the parliament building since he was an infant. It's time he sees more than a room filled with old men." Elizabeta argued, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What if we get caught!? They'll arrest us!"

"I've been with Arthur before he could say his first word! If we get caught helping, he will get us out of any trouble!"

"We can't rely on-"

"Francis, I swear in God's name I will hit you with a frying pain!" Most certainly Elizabeta's statement got the French cook to shut his trap and listen to what the Hungarian nanny had to say. "What we could do would help Arthur. At this rate he's going to become king and know nothing about his country!"

"What if after this 'one-time' Arthur wants to go out again?"

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Elizabeta turned on her heel and began to walk away from Francis-her small pumps clicking against the tiled floor of the kitchen. "I expect my breakfast to be sent to Arthur's room on a silver platter. We'll talk over the plan while I eat." She ordered, turning her head over her shoulder to address the head cook.

"You can't order me around."

"Oh! And what would Prince Arthur say if I told him you said that?"

"...I'll have it ready in twenty minutes."

"Good!"

With that little talk out of the way, Elizabeta made her way back to the prince's bedroom-greeting some of the maids and guards as she walked on by. Once there, she knocked gently against the wooden door before opening it and allowing herself in. "Arthur?" She called out, seeing the blonde had pushed his half eaten breakfast plate out of the one and had all ready downed his morning tea. "Arthur Archie Kirkland of England, how many times do I have to tell you to eat your breakfast!"

Arthur was slightly taken back, since he expected a warm welcoming for his second-mother. "But Liz! I'm getting tired of eating eggs every morning!"

"It's good for you, you need to eat it! You can't survive off tea!"

"Then tell Francis to cook me something else!"

"I will then!"

"Great!"

Elizabeta sighed as Arthur brought the plate closer to him and resumed eating his breakfast, an unhappy scowl painted on his face. "Francis and I decided we will help you." She said, attempting to dispel the small argument that just happened.

Arthur nearly dropped his fork. "You really are going to help me?"

"Yes, you do know that I can persuade Francis into doing anything, right?" She remarked as she sat down on the foot of the bed, observing Arthur break out into a smile and push his plate out of the way before lunging forward and hugging Elizabeta around her shoulders.

"Thank you-thank you-thank you!"

"Anything for you, Arthur. When Francis brings up my breakfast we can discuss the plan."

Arthur furrowed his prominent busy eyebrows and pulled away from Elizabeta. "Francis is making you breakfast?"

"Like I said, I can persuade Francis to do anything for me."

"Fear tactics?"

"I hope you don't mind that I used your name to get me some breakfast."


	2. Chapter 2

With a steaming hot breakfast plate, mimicking Arthur's own, in Elizabeta's lap, the conspirators were gathered in the prince's bedroom to craft a plan in which Arthur would successfully escaped his enclosure of the castle. Both Arthur and Elizabeta were sat in the two velvet armchairs stationed in front of the fireplace, which was placed on the opposite side of the room from the overly decorated bed, and Francis was forced to stand before the two. His arms were crossed over his chest and his hipbone popped out on the side as he shifted his weight to one leg. Arthur was picking at the authentic gold beads, that were embedded in the arm rest of the red velvet colored chair, when he finally piped up and said. "The hard part should be getting me out of the palace. Everything after should be a breeze."

Elizabeta swallowed the mushed up hash browns in her mouth before asking. "What about you getting back in? It doesn't sound as easy as you think, Arthur." Francis nodded in agreement at her statement before his blue eyes became glued to Arthur's body; awaiting to hear the logic within the prince's thinking.

"You have no idea how long I have been planning this!" The blonde prince admitted as he crossed his legs at his ankle. "In a mystery novel I read, a man was able to re-enter a mansion multiple times by using hair dye and another name. The majority of the guards do not know my face, while it would take others a few minutes to remember who I am. If I dye my hair then I can evade the guards with ease. Like Arsène Lupin!"

"First off, the book is fiction. And I don't think sa mère would be pleased seeing her heir with black hair." Francis interjected, watching as Arthur's eyebrows rose in realization that what Francis had said was correct.

But, Elizabeta knew better-obviously. "There are sprays that leave a dye in until you wash your hair. I say we use one on you. How about red? You already have red tints in that mess of blonde."

"We aren't making la prince a ginger!"

"No one will know it's him, though!"

"Liz has a point..."

When Francis went quiet due to his lack of a comeback, Elizabeta placed her half-eaten plate on the coffee table in front of the chairs-causing the Frenchman to huff at her wastefulness. "What is your plan on getting back in?"

"When I leave for the first time, I shall leave with you Liz. Tell the guards that I am one of Francis' protégés and that we are leaving together since we live near each other. When I come back, I shall be with Francis carrying in the ingredients for the day. If I say my alias, then the guard are bound to remember who I was the night before."

Right as his name was mentioned, Francis held a death glare as Arthur explained his part in the upcoming play. "Non! I'm not losing my beauty sleep for this stup-"

Luckily, Francis was interrupted when Elizabeth cleared her throat and growled. "Francis..."

"I will meet you at the gates at six, then."

"Now, Arthur, what are you going to do when you get out? I can't have the prince doing anything reckless out there."

Arthur's neutral expression melted away into one as if he had just entered a fantastic daydream. "That is the part I still do not have a plan for. All I know is that I want to explore. Explore as much as I can before I have to come back."

"Mon dieu, our petit Arthur fell in love."

"Let him have this moment, Francis." Elizabeta said. "And while you're at it, why don't you take our dishes to the kitchen."

"You can't order me around."

Arthur immediately sat straight up in his chair, his back not touching any of the fabric of the furniture, and uncrossed his legs. "Francis Bonnefoy, I hereby decree that you-"

"Oui-oui! I will leave!" Francis scooped up all the dirty dishes lingering about in the room, before bowing his head to the prince and scurrying out of the prince's bedroom.

Arthur stared at the door as it creaked to a close, all the while Elizabeta rose up from the chair and smoothed down the wrinkles in her dress. "I will go buy the hair spray on my lunch break." She announced, causing Arthur to whip his head around to look at his nanny. The blonde prince broke out into a smile as he was about to profusely thank her, however, he was beaten to the punch. "Now it's time to get ready for the day. Your mother wants to have tea with you today, and her schedule only allows her to do so in about..." She halted her sentence to glance over at the ticking grandfather clock stationed adjacent to the balcony doors. "...an hour and a half."

The previous cheerful expression was dropped off the face the earth as it was replaced by Arthur's famous scowl. "I wanted to have tea with you today."

"You see me more often than your mother. How often do you see her?"

"Four times a week."

"That's right, so don't you argue with me! Besides…" A mischievous grin had found it's way onto her face. "I can go buy the hair dye while you sip your tea… So up-up! Go get ready!"

* * *

Inside the garden of the palace laid a small, white, table with two matching chairs always beside it. It was amongst the roses and the lilacs, the scent of the two flowers mingling in the air above the table. Sitting at the table then and there were the queen and her pride and joy. The queen looked like a youthful goddess despite her age-which was her mid-forties-and being left untouched by cosmetic surgery. Her luxurious blonde locks remained straight until the very tips, which curled slightly a tapped against the fabric of her fancy dresses. She was a little plump near her waist, a bit of baby weight still hiding about in there even eighteen years after giving birth to her heir. Her emerald eyes sparkled and shined, a piece of her that could captivate anyone who made eye contact with her. And her body was overly decorated with golden jewelry to show off her wealth, her bracelets clinking together as she reached for her teacup to place against her perfectly shaped lips.

As for her son, there were conflicting emotions wrestling for control in his head. He didn't know whether to smile from the bubbling excitement from his plan coming to fruition, or frown since he was in the presence of his captor. He avoided all eye contact with her, devoting his attention to the roses planted beside the table.

Since all mother's had that six sense that allowed them to know if something was awry with their offspring's, the queen notices her son sitting as still as a statue; his eyes containing too many emotions for him to handle. After sipping at her Earl Grey tea, she paces the cup down in the saucer-that she held in her hands-and addressed her son. "You have yet to touch your tea."

With his mother's voice forcefully entering his ears, Arthur was broken out of his daydream. Yet, he still kept his gaze away from the queen. "I had a cup with breakfast. Liz says too much is bad for a person such as myself."

"You must drink it. We are having tea time after all."

"I appreciate your concern, but I do not wish to drink it."

The queen sighed as she placed the saucer down on the glass-top of the table. Ever since Arthur was old enough to speak, he would never pass up a pipping hot cup of tea. No, in fact, he would beg for an extra cup after finishing his first-which was often denied since a boy who stay cooped up in his room needs more nutrients instead of what tea could offer him. Even if she was the queen who was constantly traveling to events and visiting her people, Arthur was her son and she knew something was bothering him. "Love, tell me what is wrong. Right now."

"Nothing, Mum. I am in tip-top condition!" Arthur's voice rose as he attempted to end the conversation then and there.

She narrowed her eyes, a glint in her eyes that would send shivers down Arthur's spine if he dared to look her way. "Perhaps I shall have Ms. Elizabeta phone a physician. It seems that you are ill."

One side of Arthur wanted to remain quiet and allow his mother to do whatever she saw best. However, that side of him wasn't in control. HE averted his attention from the crimson red roses and unwisely shot a glare at the queen. "What is it called? When you have been stuck in your home for far too long and you feel your mind numbing? Is it Stir Crazy? My condolences, I do not know the medical term."

"Arthur." The queen's normal honey-sweet voice held an edge to it. "Do not speak to me like that again."

"Then I will not speak."

"Arthur, I will not play games with you. Under no circumstances are you allowed to leave the palace. Is that understood?"

"For the past eighteen years I have understood that."

There was a clotted feeling in the queen's chest. The sudden rebellious side to her son had frightened her, to say the least. When he was little, he never minded that he never saw anything outside the palace. He used to wait patiently by the palace doors to greet his mother after a long day of public appearances. Now, it seemed as if he hated her. As if he was going to disobey her.

"If you are planning on acting like this for the remainder of our visit, then you can simply return to your room as an alternative."

Slightly furrowing his brows and shaking his head, Arthur pushed himself up and out of the chair. He muttered a farewell to his stunned mother as he began to make his leave from the garden. Taking in deep breath after deep breath to calm himself down and to calm the intensity of the burning in his eyes, Arthur's boots made light padding noises against the carpeted floor as he navigated the castle to find Elizabeta-since she hadn't left to get the hair dye just yet. When the Hungarian nanny spotted the prince, she was about to assault him with questions about his health. But Arthur spoke before she could. "This plan is going into motion tonight."

"Tonight? What about tomorrow? We'll be more prepared-"

"I am the prince here, and I saw we put the plan in play tonight."


	3. Chapter 3

It was a rather a surreal moment when Arthur glanced at himself in his body mirror. His hair was now a darker shade of red, thus giving off a strawberry blonde look, and the clothes Elizabeta brought for him hung off his body more than his tighter fitting regal clothes did-it made it seem as if he had no muscle underneath- but underneath the baggy overcoat was just a simple button down shirt with a vest over it; which descended into simple black trousers and black loafers. He was far too immersed in this new side of him, not even bothering to protest when Elizabeta came up behind him and began to comb through the knots in his blonde locks. However, when Francis stood in front of him to fix his black tie, Arthur growled and presented the Frenchman with a glare. "Ugh, Francis! I was looking at the mirror!"

"Oui je sais. For the past twenty minutes, you have been." Francis shot back, keeping his face neutral as he fiddled with Arthur's tie. When he deemed it acceptable, he huffed low in his throat as he sidestepped away from both Arthur and the mirror. "He looks so bland…"

"We aren't here to make him flashy." Elizabeta said as she finished up combing through the prince's hair. "We don't need anyone recognizing him, after all."

Elizabeta turned on her heel and traveled along to the coffee table, where she left her bag before spraying the red into Arthur's hair. She picked up her beige colored bag and began to rummage through it, humming in delight as she pulled out her clasp wallet. "Come here, Arthur." She ordered, pulling out forty British pounds from her wallet-money she normally doesn't throw about. "Here's a little something." She held out the currency when Arthur was within arm's reach.

"Liz!" Arthur exclaimed, his emerald eyes widening at the sight of her offering money. "I'm the prince of the United Kingdom, I have my own money, I don't need to take yours…" He said, trying his best to have Elizabeta slip the money back into her wallet. "Besides, I should be the one gifting you money for helping-"

"Arthur Archie Kirkland of England." Elizabeta interrupted, causing Arthur to shut his trap and listen. "Take it, fiú. It's your special night. Go have fun with it." She grabbed onto Arthur's wrist with her empty hand and lifted it up. She then placed the money inside his palm and let go. "It's not like Roderich and I are poor."

"You better let me repay you for this."

"When I am ready to retire, then yes I will."

Arthur frowned while Francis headed towards the exit door. He placed his hand on the golden knob and said, "Je ne veux pas ruiner ça mais... " He pointed one of his thumbs out to the door as the duo by the coffee table devoted their attention to him-Elizabeta furrowing her eyebrows in confusion before Arthur whispered the English translation to her. "The guards are switching. It's time to go now."

The duo sprung into action as Francis opened the door wide and allowed the other two out of the bedroom. As to what Francis said, there were currently no guards stationed in the hallway, and their footsteps could be heard descending the stairs just a little way ahead. Elizabeta and Francis lead the way as they slowly followed the path the guards traveled on.

The trio slowly went down the stairs when the night guards began to go on up to their position. But, of course as per the plan, the guard outside of Arthur's bedroom at night, Gilbert, just had to stop and annoy the group. "Oh hey, brohas!" He called out when Francis entered his line of sight, and then, "Hey, Elizabeta." He said when he registered the Hungarian, but became dumbfounded when, "Uh… hey?" He saw Arthur hiding behind the two. "Who's he?"

"Oh! This is… Edward! One of Francis' new cooks." Elizabeta said, coming up with a fake alias for the prince on the spot. "Isn't that right?"

"Oui, the queen hired him to help me cook for the prince."

"But, Arthur wasn't feeling well. He went to bed early so we couldn't introduce Edward to him."

"Huh?" Gilbert squinted his crimson red eyes as he examined the boy from head to toe. "Is he on the night shift?"

"Uh." Arthur uttered before Elizabeta could come up with a plausible lie. "I was supposed to leave an hour ago, but I stayed over so I could see the prince. Unfortunately, he is ill..."

"Do we need a doctor?" Gilbert asked, since something seemed odd from this new cook. The new cook seemed familiar to him, but he didn't know why.

"Oh no! It's just a stomach ache." Elizabeta hollered, her voice wavering in tone, but Gilbert didn't acknowledge that. "If I know him, he'll be fine in the morning."

"Should we tell the queen?"

"What is this, mon ami?" Francis piped in. "Twenty questions? Elizabeta and Edward have to get home."

Elizabeta nodded and bid Gilbert farewell, while Arthur bowed his head before skidaddling along and following his nanny. Francis stayed behind to momentarily chat with Gilbert, as the other two were continuing on with the plan.

"That kid seems familiar..." Gilbert muttered, causing Francis' eyes to nearly pop free from his skull. Luckily, Gilbert ended up shrugging before cracking a smile and asking Francis. "Anyway, brohas, have you seen the new maid!?"

As Francis and Gilbert were fawning over the new addition to the maids, Elizabeta and Arthur were breezing through the remainder of the palace. The kept their eyes forward and they walked towards their destination with long strides. When Arthur saw the grand entrance to the palace, the horde of butterflies in his stomach doubled in size. He was excited and scared, and Elizabeta noticed this as she glanced over he shoulder. "Don't worry, Arthur. You're going to have an amazing time tonight."

"I'm not worrying, no, I'm excited..." Arthur smiled softly, which grew larger when the guards at the entrance began to open the door to the outside. The blonde prince leaned towards Elizabeta to whisper, "I haven't felt so excited since I was eight."

The two guards opened the door, a gust of wind blowing in and ruffling Arthur's hair. Elizabeta wished the two guards a good night before the two of them hurried on out of the palace. Arthur noticed another set of guards opening the gates for them, as the night time tourist had their cameras ready in case the queen was leaving. The tourist were thoroughly disappointed with the two unknowns stepping out of the palace, and went back to snapping pictures of the palace before walking off to another destination to take pictures of. Arthur sighed in relief after noticing that no one thought of him as the long lost prince.

Arthur began to look around him. At the cars driving by, the street lights casting down on the cobblestone streets, bright multicolored lights shining in the distances, and inhaling conflicting scents that were foreign to him inside the palace. He began to feel nauseous in his stomach, and he began to feel his chest tighten from all these new things smacking him upside the head. However, his sense for adventure was flaring, and he began walking around in his own free will. Since Arthur was walking towards the bright fluorescent lights calling to him in the distance, Elizabeta silently prayed that the prince wouldn't get into any harm, before she began her journey to her apartment.

The people who passed by Arthur considered the possibility that the poor sod was drunk, or had just taken a sniff of some drug, because of the boy's prince walked about with his attention captivated by everything little thing. A trinket in the window would cause him to fawn for five minutes before he would move on, he would bob his head along with the beat of the music radiating out of a nightclub, and he would sneeze and gag at the overwhelming stench of perfume when passing by women who dosed themselves with the whole bottle.

Luckily, no one seemed to recognize who he was. No one seemed to put two and two together and notice that the baby prince from the pictures had grown up to be him. And Arthur hadn't felt so relieved in his entire life.

That was, until he reached an empty street. The buildings were mostly apartments or abandoned office spaces that were for sale, which contained dark alleyways between each building. Arthur was breathing in the chilly air while walking on the sidewalk, when a grey car rolled past him and was placed into park a little ways ahead of him. A girl with curly, blonde, short hair came stepping out of the car. There were profanities shouted between her and the driver as she stepped out, and when the girl slammed the car door shut, the car began to drive off and the girl held up her middle finger as he drove off.

The girl grunted as she turned around and saw Arthur staring at her, with his bushy eyebrows furrowed and his mouth slightly agape. "Excuse me, Miss..." He said, the girl presenting him with a glare-due to her anger from the very recent break up. "Um... Is everything all right?"

The girl didn't answer him, as she began to breeze past him. She was shivering in the cold London hair, because she would never give up her favorite short skirts, and Arthur took note of the behavior. Being a true gentleman, he slipped off his coat and stopped the girl one more time.

"Take it." He ordered, holding out his coat for her.

"What...?"

"Go on."

The blonde girl continued to stare at Arthur as if he was an alien. Deep down she knew she wouldn't be left alone until she took the article of clothing-she's seen too much Dateline NBC-, so she haphazardly swiped it from the regal-looking blonde boy. "Hey, dude, what's your name?" She asked, slipping the coat over her shoulders.

"Arthur." The prince answered, not bothering to follow up with his alias. "And yours, Miss?"

"Amelia."


	4. Chapter 4

As Amelia slid the coat over her shoulders, a wave of warmth washed over her and she inhaled the scent of roses and earl grey tea. She turned her gaze back to the man who lent her that article, seeing that his green eyes were wide as he stared up at the cloudy night sky. "Hey, dude, what's your name?" She asked.

The man slightly jumped, being broken out of his trance as he devoted his attention to Amelia. "Arthur." He answered. "And yours miss?"

"Amelia" She replied as she crossed her hands over her voluptuous chest. "Are ya' gonna be okay out here in the cold? It was nice and all to give me your jacket, but I don't wanna see a stranger, you, dead on the news from... What's it called..."

"Hypothermia?"

"Yeah! That!"

Arthur slid his hands into his pants pockets as his warm breath was exhaled and appeared as smoke flying out of his mouth. "I assure you, I will be just fine."

"You look like a scrawny fishbone. Dude, you're going to die."

"You are quite the flatterer..."

"I'm just telling ya' how it is." Amelia held her hands up in defense as Arthur rolled his eyes in annoyance. Before either of them could speak, a car rolled by and both Amelia and Arthur watched it zoom right past them, when Amelia was hit with a stroke of so called 'genius'. "Hey, Artie-"

"Artie...?"

"How 'bout you walk me home? It ain't too far away, then I can return your jacket without having ta' CIA your ass tomorrow. How does that sound?" Amelia said, explaining her plan that just popped about in her skull. "And, I don't wanna sound rude or anything here, BUT you seem real lost around here."

Arthur didn't know whether to feel insulted or flattered by Amelia's statements, since he's never heard anything quite like it. So, he simply cocked up an eyebrow as he responded. "I suppose I could escort you home."

"Great! Now let's get a move on, Artie, I gotta study for my exam tomorrow!" Amelia proclaimed, immediately beginning to head up the street they were on, causing Arthur to hurry on up and rush after her.

Arthur was reunited with the sights he had passed by earlier as Amelia trudged on further, leading the both of them to the place she called home. "I don't mean to pry or anything, however, who was that man you were arguing with in that car?"

"Oh? That guy. Officially my ex now. We have psychology in the mornings together. I think he found me attractive, and asked me out. But, hey, look where it got me. Borrowing a stranger's jacket on the streets and making the stranger freeze." Amelia smiled, a very bright smile that Arthur thought was near impossible to do, as she hit the Brit with a side glance. "Now it's my turn to ask! Anywho, you look my age but I haven't seen ya' around the college at all. Oh! Maybe you're a student at the rival college and I should've really just left ya' to die in the cold, huh?"

Arthur was taken back by the statement. Having someone say they should have left him dead was a first for the prince. "Well, isn't that a bit rude-"

"I'm just asking, dude, don't take it to heart. What do you do anyway?"

"You could say that I am... Part of the Parliament."

"Dude, I'm not joking."

"Neither am I." Amelia ceased her walking, causing Arthur to turn around and cock his head to left. "Are you all right?"

"YOU'RE LIKE EIGHTEEN, DUDE, HOW THE HELL ARE YOU IN THE GOVERNMENT?" Amelia screeched, causing some heads to turn to them and tune in.

"I am about to turn nineteen, mind you. I guess you could say I was born with some advantages in order to get there." Arthur said, basically saying he was the long lost prince but in a more complex manner. "What is the matter, you seem confused?"

"You must be real smart to be in the parliament at eighteen... How'd the hell did you do it?" Amelia finally picked up her feet and began walking alongside Arthur again; the wavering eyes that were on them having departed as well.

"I excel at my studies... sad thing is, I don't get to leave home very often because of it." Arthur shrugged, sniffling due to the sudden ailments he was exexperiencing in his head.

"Oh, so this is like a vacation day for you?"

"I suppose so."

"Sorry for making you escort me home on your vaca, dude." Amelia whimpered, sounding somewhat guilty now that she knew the partial-truth.

"It is quite all right, Amelia, I don't mind."

For a few moments, the pair decided to reveal in their silence and only listen to the night life hustling on by around them-as well as listening to their shoes smack down on the cement below them. Amelia hummed along with any beat that was blasting in any car that passed on by them, all while Arthur was entranced with various trinkets presented in shop windows; ranging from bland looking coffee mugs to overly decorative table pieces. They were silent, until Amelia spotted a tabloid stand that caused both her and Arthur to halt in their tracks. Arthur was skimming the titles of the tabloids while Amelia huffed and cracked a lopsided grin.

"Geez that conspiracy magazine still sells, huh?" She thought out loud, catching Arthur's attention and causing the employee at the stall to glance up from his cell phone.

"Which one?"

"The one about the prince here. I bought it when I got here, it's kinda dumb." She shrugged. "It's some conspiracy theorist saying the prince was actually never born and the reason why he was locked away was 'cause he looked nothing like the queen or king. Since they used a fake baby to push their agenda. Oh! And there's another one saying he died when the king did. That the king killed the prince and then himself!"

"That's rather grotesque..." Arthur muttered, his shoulders hunching up a bit from the uncomfortable nature from what Amelia was saying.

"It's stupid, but it made me think. I wonder how's the prince doing and all. Being locked up has to suck, right?" Amelia crossed her arms over her chest once more and popped out her hip on her right side. "Well, he does got all that wealth too. If he wants somethin' he could just have someone go out and get it for him."

Arthur shifted his gaze from the filthy tabloids to Amelia, and back again numerous times, before glancing down at his feet. "I can confirm the prince's existence, I have met the boy before. I can not say anything for certain that coincides with the tabloids here." He said, stopping himself before he could disclose his true nature. "Enough of that, how much farther is your home?"

"Oh, just 'round the corner. Why? Getting tired of me all ready?" Amelia smirked as both she and her traveling companion picked up their pace and continued on down the sidewalk. "It's okay if you are, Bushy Brows."

"Bushy Brows?" Arthur repeated, confused by the second nickname he was gifted with that evening. Nonetheless, he shook it out of his head before continuing. "No, it's just that-"

"You don't wanna talk badly about the prince." Amelia interrupted. "I got 'cha. It makes ya' sound sleazy."

"Sleazy?"

"Y'know. A parliament member talking badly about the prince will end up in those tabloids we were just reading." Amelia explained, turning the street corner and soon coming face-to-face with her apartment complex's front door. She slid off Arthur's warm coat, that was before handing it over to the Brit. She opened the door and moved forward so she was underneath the doorway, before she turned her head to look at Arthur-who was ensuring that she got inside safely. "It was nice stealing your coat and chatting with ya', Arthur." She smiled, showing off her pearly white teeth-that were surprisingly left unscathed by the amount of soda she consumes.

"It was pleasant speaking with you as well." Arthur admitted, smiling in return as he way of saying farewell. However, before he could turn around and officially say goodbye, he heard Amelia call out for him.

"Hey, before you go. Will you be around anytime soon?"

"Hm?" Arthur hummed. "Possibly. I will just have to come find you if I am."

"Good, cause I don't wanna CIA your ass when you come out again."

Both Amelia and Arthur released a chuckle before Amelia completely entered the welcoming warmth of her apartment complex, shutting the door behind her. As she climbed up the stairs, she unzipped her army green purse to retrieve her apartment's keys-which was overly decorated with cute charms she received from her Japanese friend Sakura. She sighed as she placed the keys in the lock and turned both the knob and the keys. The smell of pancakes and syrup tickled at her nose as she opened the door.

"Hey Maddie, I'm back!" She called out, despite the fact her twin sister was a few feet in front of her, lounging on the couch and cuddling with her polar bear stuffed animal.

Madeline lifted herself up from the couch in order to glance at Amelia taking off her shoes and such. "T-that was a fast date..." She said in that usual hushed tone of hers.

"I got dumped before we even got there. I had to walk her after that."

"W-what!? In the cold!?"

"Nah, some real nice dude came by and gave me his jacket. He walked me here and I returned his jacket." Amelia said, heading over to the kitchen to open the refrigerator to see if there was anything she could devour before heading off to bed for the night. "It was kinda weird, but the dude was nice. Real proper, but nice."

Madeline abandoned her spot on the old, yet extremely plush, couch to follow her twin into the kitchen. "What w-was his name?" She asked, stretching her arms well above her head.

"Arthur. He works for the parliament."

"O-oh... then he must've been an older man."

"Nah, he's my age." Amelia said as she reached for her leftover hamburgers from the other night. Madeline lifted an eyebrow in confusion but shrugged the topic off, though Amelia brought I back up. "He said he excelled in school and was born with all those advantages."

"Are you seeing h-him again?"

Amelia opened up a cupboard to retrieve a plate to set her precious hamburgers on. "Hopefully."


	5. Chapter 5

As Arthur was walking on his merry way away from the apartment building he had just saw Amelia off too-his coat now smelling of a mixture of roses and greasy fast food hamburgers-there was a tightening feeling beginning to form in his chest. His breathing became more strained and louder, his head began to feel just a tad bit woozy, and he began to feel as if he had become inflicted with the common cold.

Groaning softly in his throat, Arthur was able to locate a bench and sit himself down for a quick breather. He hadn't a clue as to what was occurring within his body, he just knew he wanted to curl up and perish. As much as he wanted to bounce back up onto his feet and explore a bit more of the nightlife of London before he had to turn right back around and back into his captivity; he felt ready to pass out and wake up on the bench to the news of the only living heir to the throne missing from his bedroom.

Luckily, a plan was pre-set just in case Arthur began to feel under try weather-since Elizabeta insisted that one should be made. Arthur had memorized Elizabeta's apartment address and began to recite it inside his head as he mustered the strength to lift himself up and off the bench. With a hand hovering over his aching stomach, Arthur began to take small steps through the streets of London-some passersby genuinely concerned about Arthur's health while others held blank faces as they passed by the prince.

He passed by all the sights he had saw before: the bustling clubs with the blaring music that disturbed the customers in the coffee shop next door, the shops carrying useless knick-knacks in their windows that have been on displayed for weeks, and the tiny cafés with the regulars allowing them to keep their doors open. Before he reached barren streets containing apartment buildings with their tenants snoozing peacefully in their beds-excluding that one tenant that stomped around at three in the morning.

Arthur managed to enter the apartment complex that Elizabeta called home, and also he successfully climbed up three flights of steps without toppling over and passing out. Once reaching the room number 423, Arthur placed his knuckles against the door and knocked loud enough that it would wake Elizabeta from her slumber.

The blonde prince heard two voices grumble loudly through the thin door before he heard two locks come undone and he was met with a bed-headed Elizabeta-a silk dressing robe covering her pajamas-with a low-key pissed expression clouding her facial features. Luckily for Arthur, that expression disappeared into thin air when Elizabeta realized who was standing at her door at three in the morning.

"Arthur?" She said, her eyes widening as she placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder and forcefully pushed him inside her snug little apartment. "Is everything all right, fiú?"

Arthur grumbled in his throat before he whispered-being considerate of Roderich in the other room. "I don't feel particularly well... I walked around for nearly three hours and I just feel like I have a flu right now..."

Elizabeta narrowed her eyes, holding an expression that read as 'I knew this would happen'. She placed the back of her hand on Arthur's forehead, but hadn't felt a blazing temperature as she expected to. "You don't have a temperature, Arthur. Are you sure you aren't just nervous?"

"I was nervous when I met the prince of Japan and the princess of Liechtenstein. I felt different then than I do now..."

"All right. Let me get changed and tell Roderich what I am doing-"

Despite being semi-loopy and not his normal self, Arthur heard Elizabeta mention her gracious husband. "Just a moment, sorry to interrupt but does Roderich know about our plan?"

"Mh-hm. Just in case I got arrested for this, he would know why."

"...what about keeping our plan a secret...?"

"That doesn't matter, Arthur! I'll go get changed so we can sneak you back into the castle." Elizabeta cut their conversation short as she turned herself around and hustled back into her bedroom, leaving Arthur to his own devices in the living room. She came out moments later, dressed in her famous dress and apron combo though with a heavy coat over her this go-round, and placed her hand on Arthur's back as she lent her assistance to ensure Arthur didn't didn't topple over.

Once more on the streets some kind souls had asked if Arthur was in good health, while others were far too busy pub hopping or escorting a girl back to her flat to care. Luckily, before Arthur's legs could give out, the pair had made it back to the castle, however, Elizabeta had to release her grip on Arthur to ensure their little ruse wouldn't be uncovered. She approached the guards with a worried curve to her lips, saying, "I got a call from one of the servants saying that Arthur was under the weather. I decided to come see him, and the new cook, Edward, was called too so he could make the prince some broth."

One of the guards raised his eyebrows. "The prince is ill?"

"Yes... Hopefully it's just allergies from the garden..."

Nodding, the guard made a signal to open the gates as well as the front doors before Elizabeta and Arthur had rushed on in- the halls being barren save for a few patrolling guards who performed curt nods at them both as they passed by. However, it seemed as if Gilbert abandoned his post or was taking a bathroom leak because the post outside Arthur's door was completely empty-which did concern the prince just the tiniest bit. Once inside, Arthur didn't even shrug off his jacket or kick off his shoes before he collapsed right down onto his bed.

"I'm going to go to sleep now..." He mumbled into his pillow, hugging it as his knees began to curl into his body.

"You better get changed first, or else your mother is going to find out that you snuck out."

"Ugh... I don't want to..."

"Arthur Archie Kirkland of England-"

So, Arthur had hoisted himself off his comfortable bed to change into his pajamas, all the while Elizabeta had called for the royal family's care taker. Thus, awaking the queen from her slumber so she could check up on her adorable little son.

The doctor checked Arthur's throat for signs of irritation, his sinuses, checked her heart beat and blood pressure, asked if he had any tightening in his chest or if he felt lightheaded. And once gathering everything she needed to know to give a diagnosis, the doctor hummed before asking if she could speak to the queen in the hallway.

The doctor smiled down at Arthur, and bid a farewell to both Arthur and Elizabeta at his before both she and the queen exited the room with their heads held high. Once the door to the bedroom was closed shut, the doctor took in a deep breath before saying,

"Whatever is ailing Arthur isn't anything to fret about. It seems as if he has had a long exposure to things he hasn't prior."

The queen cocked her head as she raised a single eyebrow. "Exposure to things he hasn't prior...?" She echoed, her eyesight shifting down to the ground as she became encased in her thoughts.

"It shouldn't be anything life threatening. However, your sickness is, your majesty. You've been avoiding your checkup."

"I don't want Arthur to find out about it..."

"No worries, your majesty, all the results will be kept confidential from the prince. Now, will you allow me to perform the check-up?"


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur was sweating up a storm in his bed. All his previous symptoms, from his time outside the castle, were slowly vanishing however they left behind some horrible sweating. Elizabeta was at his bedside, sitting in her personal favorite armchair she haphazardly dragged over to the bed. Arthur was hugging one of his pillows as he moaned softly in pain. "Ngh..."

Elizabeta sighed as she pinched the slim bridge of her nose. She shook her head before she said, "No more going outside for you, Arthur. You'll just get sick again and I can't risk the health of the only heir to the th-"

"When I get better, Liz," Arthur interrupted his nanny as he tilted his head away from being consumed by his pillow. "I want to go back out into London. I want to explore more." He said, making it seem as if he didn't listen to what Elizabeta had stated earlier. "I became ill before I really could explore..."

If the prince wasn't absolutely miserable in his bed and didn't have blurry vision due to the ailment destroying his body, he would see Elizabeta's face slowly turn beet red. There was a scowl forming on her face that obviously indicated that she disapproved of Arthur's thinking. "Elnézést, Arthur... Are you mad?" She said, her voice hushed yet sounding as if she was confused, before Arthur lifted his head completely off his pillow.

"I do not believe I am. Unless this sickness has anything to do with it."

"Absolutely no!" Elizabeta raised the volume of her voice for the sole purpose of scolding the prince. "First, we risked everything to get you out. And now, you're sick from going outside."

"B-But..." Arthur whined, sitting himself completely up despite the woozy feeling bouncing about throughout his head that made his vision all dizzy. "You see, I never got to see all that I wanted to see. Since I met this girl, but, I would love to be able to see her a-"

Elizabeta's eyes widened as she processed what Arthur had just said in his defense. "A girl?" She crossed her legs and leaned forward to become closer to Arthur. "You met a girl."

Arthur held a look as if he was caught doing something he wasn't suppose to be doing. Nonetheless, with the guilty look still present on his face, Arthur admitted, "Yes, I did. Her name is Amelia... I spent a lot of my time with her."

"Go on."

"I met her right when she got dumped. She was going to freeze if I did not offer her my jacket. So, being the gentleman I am, I did and walked her home." Arthur felt a wave of drowsiness suddenly was over him, presumably from the antibiotics that were given to him earlier. His eyes widened slightly as a he sighed before lying back down on his bunches of pillows. He yawned, covering his mouth as he did so.

"Did she ask you what you did?" Elizabeta asked, simply racking on question after question at that point. "You must've been her age."

"I just said I was a part of the parliament and she believed it. It's... Partially the truth."

"She must not be the, uh no offense, the brightest..."

"I won't argue with you there, however, it was nice to talk with someone my age for once..." Arthur admitted, releasing a weak chuckle as he did so.

Elizabeta narrowed her eyes, entering a string of thought to decide on how she should proceed with the conversation on hand. "Did you say you would see her again?"

"I said I would if I was in the area."

"Those are some hollow words coming from someone in your shoes..."

"It was better than saying I was trapped in a palace and I would see her if I snuck out again!"

Sighing once more, Elizabeta uncrossed her legs before standing up. She smoothed out the wrinkles in the lower portion of her dress before heading on over to the door-Arthur's green eyes watching her the entire time. She placed her hand on the doorknob as she turned her head over her shoulder to say, "I'll see what I can do, Arthur... The second time getting out might be harder." Elizabeta saw a smile forming on Arthur's face from the corner of her eye. "Get some rest while I'll go talk to Francis, he should be in by now right? Er... Or you'll never recover, my prince."

Elizabeta kept her watchful eye on the sickly prince, until the prince in question raised his sheets and blankets over his shoulders before sealing his eyes shut. Slowly and carefully, Elizabeta opened the door to ensure it wouldn't creak loudly which would travel up and down the halls. One thing she hadn't been expected was that the queen was walking right on by her son's room. A look of fear painting her face, most noticeable in those emerald eyes of hers. Elizabeta cocked her head to the side at the sight.

"Your majesty..." Elizabeta let out, causing the queen to stiffen and turn to her at the sound. "Is everything okay?"

The Queen's worried face was covered by a mask of a fake smile. "Yes-yes, Mrs. Héderváry... I am just... Worried for my son's health, that is all." She partially lied, keeping her face as straight as she could to conceal her lie.

"Oh... He should be fine. It seems he just has a cold." Elizabeta said, trying to reassure the queen's nerves.

"I know... It is just..."

"Maternal instincts?" Elizabeta butted in.

"Yes, that's it!"

Before the two women could speak any further, the doctor, who treated Arthur earlier, came walking down the hall. The queen excused herself in order to escort the doctor to the grand exit doors. Right at that time, Francis was coming down the hall as well. He didn't have the prince's breakfast in his hands, mostly due to Arthur's designated breakfast time was in two more hours, and the Frenchman held a look of concern. But that look melted away when he saw Elizabeta standing by Arthur's door.

"Bonjour, mon ami. Did our prince live through the night?" Francis greeted, keeping his voice down to a whisper so any guards wouldn't overhear.

"Yes, Francis, he did. He just needs a cellphone and another plan so he can sneak out again."

"It's great he lived- Pardon-moi? A cellphone?" Francis said, dumbfounded.

"He met a girl out there. Someone his age."

"Mais, Elizabeta... It's too dangerous if he keeps going out. We'll be caught if we keep doing it!"

"Don't argue with me, Francis. As soon as Arthur gets better, he's going to sneak out again."

"That could be tomorrow... or even tonight..."

"I know. That's why we should prepare."


	7. Chapter 7

Arthur was dead set on returning to London as soon as he recovered. He desperately wanted to see more of his kingdom, and he wanted to see that Amelia again. However, he didn't account for his body in order to fully heal to take well over a week until he felt semi-functional.

During the week of Prince Arthur's bed rest wasn't a time for a break. Elizabeta and Francis went to work. Francis kept on acknowledging Arthur's persona, Edward, to ensure the staff knew of this fabled mans existence. Elizabeta went out to buy Arthur a cellphone-after the prince had slipped her a few pounds so she wouldn't blow her entire savings account-so they could all communicate while Arthur was roaming about London. Oh, and Elizabeta had this nagging feeling as if the queen had begun to suspect something about her son sneaking out.

For starters, the queen was persistent on knowing what types of new foods were being presented to Arthur. Since the doctor had told her that her son's ailments were conceived from foreign contaminants entering his body. When Francis said he had been feeding Arthur the same things, she presented a scowl and demanded where the food was being purchased from. The queen was adamant about spending as much time as she could with her son. Whenever she wasn't present for an event, she could always be found in her sons room. Until it was nine o'clock at night, because the queen retreated to her room by then.

All those things had formed the hunch for Elizabeta. But, she couldn't be entirely sure just yet.

Anyway, after the queen was done visiting her heir that night, Arthur was placed into clothes similar to the ones he wore when he first snuck out. His hair was given another treatment of having temporary red dye sprayed into it, and tonight Francis gave him a little touch up so Arthur didn't appear to be ill to his citizens.

With all those things accomplished, Arthur was ready to disembark. Wow, he was becoming quite the rebel

Elizabeta fixed Arthur's tie, and smoothed out any wrinkles in his posh vest, before they went through the same procedure that worked the last time Arthur snuck out. Elizabeta and the new cook Edward are released from duty at the same time, and live in same neighborhood so they leave together-and the guards didn't bother to question where this Edward was for the past seven days. And like that, Arthur was back outside with the cold air attacking him.

"If you need anything, you have my number now." Elizabeta said as they reached the road where they separated the previous time. "So if you get sick again, just call me. Okay?"

Arthur nodded his head, his gaze fixated on shiny, bright, lights illuminated in the distance. "Yes, I know, Liz. We had this talk beforehand."

"Oh? What do you do if I'm not answering the phone?"

"Call Francis instead. But, that is a last case scenario."

"You were paying attention..." Elizabeta sighed, but ended up smiling at the prince. "Enough of that, just go have fun now."

With that being said, Arthur took Elizabeta's words to heart and began to charge forward towards all those shining lights, hopefully getting closer and closer to Amelia. He was re-acquainted with the shops that had knick-knacks displayed in the window, the peaceful coffee shops with very few people in them, and the night club that was bustling with partygoers and their music choices were oozing out of the building and being heard miles away.

However, Arthur didn't to see Amelia sitting on the curb near that very nightclub. At least tonight she was wearing a coat meant for that cold weather, but she seemed so... defeated. As if she was ready to fall down onto her side and start crying her eyes out.

Straightening his posture, Arthur walked towards Amelia. Once close enough, he said, "Let me guess, did someone break up with you again?"

With the sudden voice addressing her, Amelia glanced up at the new person with solemn eyes. "Yeah, how do you know-" She trailed off after realizing that Arthur was standing beside her. "Arthur?"

Smiling, Arthur sat down on the freezing cold curb beside her. "Yes, that is me."

"I haven't seen you in a week, dude. Were you busy, or something?"

Other than simply telling her that he was ill from all the new bacteria he was introduced to, he told her, "I couldn't peel myself away from my desk this past week. So, yes I was busy... Besides that, how did you get broken up with this time?"

"This guy from my math class asked me out on a date to the club, so I said sure since I've been real unlucky with guys lately. We get there, and he keeps passing me drinks and tells me to drink up. I know it's legal for me to drink and all in thus country, but I got really uncomfortable and said no to each drink. Eventually he said he went to the bathroom, but I watched him leave. Psh, I guess he was trying to get some..." Amelia went into a criss-cross applesauce position, as she glanced at her reflection in a puddle. "It's like I got this curse with guys."

Arthur sighed as he thought about Amelia's story. "Perhaps he just doesn't deserve you."

"Huh? What're you talking about, Artie?"

"If he doesn't know how to treat a lady, then so be it... I was raised by two women and what he did was not very gentlemanly..."

Amelia shrugged, keeping her gaze locked on the people walking on the sidewalk across the road. "It's been so long... I don't know how I wanna be treated anymore."

"Then how about I take you out somewhere. That is, if you want to..."

"Was that just one long setup to ask me out?" Amelia felt a ripple of laughter ready to burst out of her as she turned to glance at Arthur sitting beside her. "I accept, Artie. But you better wow me."

"I'll try my best."


End file.
